Posted on 22-8-2003
Greenpeace
Halts Import Coal Unloading
Tauranga, 21 August 2003; 4.00pm - Greenpeace activists boarded
the vessel
Atermon today as it berthed in Port Tauranga, preventing 30,000
tonnes of
coal from being unloaded. The Indonesian coal is to be burnt
at Genesis’s
Huntly Power Station, fuelling global warming by releasing carbon
dioxide
into the atmosphere.
Activists climbed the ship’s side, preventing the coal from
being unloaded,
and displayed banners reading ‘Reject polluting power’.
“This shipload of dirty old coal is just the tip of the iceberg.
Genesis is
negotiating to import one million tonnes of coal every year,
on top of a
recent deal struck with Solid Energy for 11 million tonnes of
coal over the
next eight years,” said climate campaigner Vanessa Atkinson.
“The Government must step in and cancel current negotiations
for the
importation of one million tonnes of coal every year. State
owned
enterprises such as Genesis must be brought in line with government
policy
and invest in clean renewable energy such as wind.”
“New Zealand is moving into a phase where we will be burning
more coal for
electricity generation than at any other time in our history.
In this age
of climate change we need to be rapidly phasing out fossil use
not
increasing our dependency on coal the most greenhouse gas
polluting of
all fossil fuels.”
“Over the next eight years, Genesis plans to increase the amount
of coal it
burns at Huntly by about 19 million tonnes. This will release
an additional
45.6 million tonnes of climate changing carbon dioxide into
the atmosphere.”
“While the Government is trying to tackle agricultural greenhouse
gas
emissions, they are also hypocritically consenting to Genesis
increasing
climate pollution. Many fine words have been said about renewable
energy as
the future for New Zealand, yet Government actions continue
to embed more
dirty coal into our electricity system.”
Coal facts:
• Genesis has publicly stated that they will be running Huntly
Power
Station on 80% coal and 20% gas. Three years ago it ran on only
20% coal
• Burning coal produces 72% more carbon dioxide than burning
gas
• It takes 1000 trucks to move this shipment of 30,000 tonnes
of coal. This
volume of coal can be burnt within 30 hours when Huntly runs
at full capacity.
“Globally we need to break our fossil fuel dependency to avoid
dangerous
climate change. As part of this, our Government should develop
an
electricity system from 100% renewable sources, decommission
fossil fuel
power stations and actively bring on line clean alternatives,”
concluded Ms
Atkinson.
This is the last in a series of three shipments of coal for
use in Genesis’
Huntly coal and gas fired power station, in the Waikato. These
three
shipments have been the first imports of coal for use as fuel,
possibly
since the Second World War. The coal will be trucked to Huntly
and some
stockpiled in a disused quarry in Matamata.
A total of 90,000 tonnes of coal, including this shipment, has
been
imported from Indonesia this year for use at Huntly. The coal
is being
imported, as domestic supply is not enough.
Coal use is on the rise in New Zealand
New Zealand is moving into a phase where we will be burning
more coal than
at any other time in our history.
• Genesis has publicly stated that they will be running Huntly
power
station on 80% coal and 20% gas in the next few years. This
is a complete
reversal of the situation three years ago when it ran on only
20% coal.
• Genesis and Solid Energy have signed a deal for 11.408 million
tonnes
over the next 8 years, locking in this increase in coal dependency
until 2011.
• Genesis is currently negotiating to import one million tonnes
of coal
every year from 2004: 500,000 tonnes from Indonesia and 500,000
tonnes from
northern Queensland, Australia.
• This year more coal is likely to be barged up to supply Huntly
from Solid
Energy’s West Coast mines.
• Over the next 8 years, state owned company Genesis Power intend
to burn
at least 19 million tonnes of coal at Huntly above it’s previous
production, releasing approximately 45.6 million tonnes of climate
changing
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
• Solid Energy is also proposing a new 150MW coal fired power
station in
the Buller region.
Coal
• Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel and produces the most carbon
dioxide
(CO2) of any fossil fuel and burning coal produces 72% more
CO2 than
burning gas ; and
• CO2 is the major global contributor to climate change.
Global imperative to tackle climate change and phase out fossil
fuels
Global warming is the most serious environmental problem facing
the planet
today. It is caused mainly by an increase in CO2 levels from
the burning of
fossil fuels for energy. “Greenhouse gases” such as carbon dioxide
and
methane are thickening the natural canopy of gases in our atmosphere
causing it to heat up and our climate to change. This results
in climatic
instability and more extreme weather events such as droughts
and floods,
rising sea levels and glacial retreat.
To slow global warming, we have to drastically reduce greenhouse
gas
emissions globally. 75% of recoverable fossil fuel reserves
must remain in
the ground - never to be used as fuels - if we want to keep
global
temperature increases under one degree Celsius and avoid dangerous
levels
of climate change. To do this, energy services globally need
to be met
through the efficient use of non-greenhouse gas emitting, renewable
energy.
Renewable energy needs to be developed quickly in New Zealand
for the
country to reap medium to long-term benefits. Deep cuts in greenhouse
gas
emissions are needed now to ensure that we will be able to meet
reduction
targets in twenty to fifty years.
Government Responsibilities: The Kyoto Protocol
The New Zealand Government signed the Kyoto Protocol, an international
agreement to address climate change, on the 10 November 2002.
New Zealand
therefore has international commitments to reduce our greenhouse
gas emissions.
Electricity Generation in New Zealand
An energy strategy is urgently needed to map out a transition
to an
electricity system of 100% renewable sources in New Zealand
by 2020, and to
create a truly secure, reliable and environmentally sustainable
electricity
system.
New Zealand has one of the best wind resources in the world,
yet also one
of the most underdeveloped with only about 0.5% of our energy
supplied by
wind. Other countries with poorer wind resources have much more
of their
energy supplied by wind - Denmark already has 18% of its electricity
from
wind. But these successes only occurred when the governments
in those
countries took the lead and put in place a policy framework
and supporting
mechanisms such as mandatory renewable energy targets, to drive
the
renewable energy development. The same must happen here.
The current unregulated market system and policies are clearly
not working.
The New Zealand Government must take the lead and develop an
energy
strategy and supporting mechanisms, if we are to have a truly
sustainable,
reliable and secure energy system.
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